August 13, 2021 – On Thursday, August 12, 2021 U.S. Ambassador Dennis W. Hearne swore in Ms. Helen Pataki as the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Mission Director for Mozambique. In this capacity she will lead USAID activities and assistance throughout Mozambique.
As the USAID Mission Director, Ms. Pataki will be responsible for leading the U.S. government’s development partnership with the Government of the Republic of Mozambique, other donors, non-government organizations, and the private sector to improve the quality of life for all Mozambicans, particularly underserved and marginalized communities. USAID programs make up the majority of the U.S. Government’s $500 million in annual assistance to Mozambique, the largest bilateral donor to the country. Those programs help improve the health of Mozambicans, increase access to clean water and sanitation, provide quality primary education, promote inclusive economic growth, improve agriculture-based livelihoods and incomes, counter wildlife trafficking and protect biodiversity, strengthen civil society and media, and build resilience to natural disasters and conflict. In addition, USAID’s humanitarian assistance programs help to address the immediate needs and ongoing recovery from these crises and others.
Prior to Mozambique, Ms. Pataki served as Mission Director in Sudan from 2019 to 2021, where she oversaw USAID programming during the beginning of Sudan’s transition to democracy following a popular uprising that unseated the previous regime. From 2018 to 2019, Ms. Pataki served as Deputy Mission Director in Islamabad, Pakistan, where she focused on health, education, stabilization and governance, infrastructure, and operations. From 2016 to 2018, she served as Deputy Mission Director in Tanzania.
During her fifteen-year career with USAID, Ms. Pataki has also served as legal advisor to USAID Missions in Tanzania, Jordan, West Africa and the USAID Office of General Counsel’s Legislation and Policy Division in Washington, DC.
Ms. Pataki holds a Juris Doctorate from Columbia University Law School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California at San Diego. She is a member of the New York State and District of Columbia Bar Associations.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the U.S. Government’s international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises. For more information about USAID’s work to foster sustainable development and advance human dignity visit www.usaid.gov.
For more information about this press release, please contact the U.S. Embassy Maputo Press Office at MaputoPress@state.gov.
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